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Residential segregation in post-apartheid Vredenburg : the role of racial preference

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South Africa has a long history of divided towns and cities. The grave inefficiencies and
inequalities that developed between the racial communities during these periods must now be
redressed in post-apartheid South Africa by integrating and unifying the physical and social
structures of the country's urban settlements. In spite of the positive general trends in race
relations and attitudes towards residential integration, South African towns and cities
generally remain hyper-segregated. This could be an indication that White attitudes pertain
only to the principles of integration, but that they do not actually want to live in integrated
neighbourhoods themselves.
The aim of this study is to assess the influence of racial preference in the dismantling or
continuation of segregation in the South African town of Vredenburg during the postapartheid
era. This is done by determining the influence that the population group
composition of a neighbourhood has on the desirability of living in that neighbourhood when
accounting for varying levels of crime and neighbourhood deterioration. A factorial survey
questionnaire was used to gather the data, which were then analysed by way of multiple
regression analyses.
The results of the analyses indicate that the sampled residents of Vredenburg are generally not
influenced by the population group composition of the neighbourhood. However, the more
unsafe the neighbourhood, the more litter that is strewn about, the lower the housing quality
and the more unfriendly the neighbours, the less respondents liked the neighbourhood. The
results also indicate that members of the upper socio-economic class are more critical of their
neighbourhoods and tend to evaluate them according to stricter criteria than the lower socio-economic classes do.
The findings suggest that the racial composition of a neighbourhood per se does not
significantly affect the attitudes of Vredenburg's residents towards a neighbourhood. Rather,
high levels of crime and residential environmental deterioration are the factors that strongly
affect both White and non-White people's views of a neighbourhood. Higher levels of crime and environmental deterioration are commonly associated with the
lower socio-economic class. In the case of Vredenburg, vast socio-economic differences exist
between the White and non- White residents of the town. These differences are not likely to
change considerably in the short term. The continuation of these class differences will most
likely be the cause of continued segregation in Vredenburg.
Keywords: Apartheid city, Centralisation, Concentration, Evenness, Exposure, Factorial
survey, Hyper-segregation, Integration, Multiple regression analysis, Neighbourhood
characteristics, Racial preference, Segregation, Segregation indices. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Suid-Afrika het 'n lang geskiedenis van verdeeelde stedelike gebiede. Die erge ongelykhede
en oneffektiewe strukture wat tussen die verskillende rassegroepe binne die stedelike gebiede
ontstaan het, moet reggestel word in die post-apartheid era. Dit moet gedoen word deur die
verdeelde fisiese en sosiale strukture van Suid-Afrika se stedelike gebiede te integreer.
Ondanks die algemene positiewe neiging in rasseverhoudings en houdings teenoor
residensiële integrasie, bly Suid-Afrikaanse stedelike gebiede steeds hiper-gesegregeerd. Dit
kan 'n teken daarvan wees dat Blankes se ingesteldheid slegs positief is teenoor die beginsel
van integrasie maar dat hulle nie self in geïntegreerde woonbuurte wil bly nie.
Die doel van die studie is om die invloed van rassevoorkeur te bepaal in die aftakeling of
voortsetting van segregasie in Vredenburg, Suid-Afrika, gedurende die post-apartheidsera.
Dit word gedoen deur die invloed van bevolkingsgroepsamestelling op die begeerte om in
daardie buurt te woon te bepaal, in ag genome die invloed van verskillende vlakke van
misdaad en omgewingsverval binne daardie woonbuurt. 'n Faktoriale opnamevraelys is
gebruik om data in te samel. Die data is daarna ontleed deur middel van veelvuldige
regressie-analises.
Die resultate van die analises toon dat die inwoners van Vredenburg, wie aan die steekproef
deelgeneem het, in die algemeen nie beïnvloed is deur die bevolkingsgroepsamestelling van
'n woonbuurt nie. Daarteenoor het die deelnemers minder gehou van woonbuurte wat meer
onveilig is, waarin meer rommel gestrooi is, waarvan die behuisingskwaliteit laer en die bure
meer onvriendelik is. Die resultate toon ook dat lede van die hoë sosio-ekonomiese klas meer
krities is oor woonbuurte en geneig is om dié areas volgens strenger kriteria te evalueer as die
laer sosio-ekonomiese groepe.
Die bevindings dui aan dat die rassesamestelling van 'n woonbuurt per se me die
ingesteldheid van die dorp se inwoners beduidend beïnvloed nie. Dit is eerder hoë vlakke van
misdaad en residensiële omgewingsverval wat beide Bruin en Blanke inwoners se opvattinge
oor 'n buurt beduidend beïnvloed. Hoër vlakke van misdaad en omgewingsverval word gewoonlik met die laer SOSIOekonomiese
klas geassosieer. In Vredenburg se geval bestaan daar groot sosio-ekonomiese
verskille tussen die Blanke en nie-Blanke inwoners van die dorp. Dit is onwaarskynlik dat
hierdie verskille in die korttermyn beduidend sal verander. Voortgesette klasverskille sal
waarskynlik die oorsaak wees van volgehoue segregasie in Vredenburg.
Trefwoorde: Apartheidstad, Blootstelling, Egaligheid, Faktoriale opname, Hiper-segregasie,
Integrasie, Konsentrasie, Meervoudige regressie-analise, Rassevoorkeur, Segregasie,
Segregasie- indekse, Sentralisasie, Woonbuurtkaraktereienskappe.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/53575
Date04 1900
CreatorsJanse van Rensburg, Hendrik Stephanus
ContributorsDe Necker, P. H., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences . Dept. of Geography and Environmental Studies .
PublisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
Languageen_ZA
Detected LanguageUnknown
TypeThesis
Format98 p. : ill.
RightsStellenbosch University

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